days of olde
by Mirokus-doll
Summary: pg13 for future chapters(maybe). can't really do summaries so basically its going to be harry as he grows and joins Hogwarts. Big differences though
1. Default Chapter

-June 8th-

Prologue

The boy-who-lived, as many in the wizarding world called him though he did not know that, woke in his bed to a day, though it was still dark, he thought was going to be the same as all others. He was 5 years old and his aunt had told him yesterday that he was going to be doing yard work today.

Flashback

"Boy, the grass is getting long and there are weeds in my flowerbeds!" She yelled. "I expect you to spend tomorrow fixing that problem and that means you going to go without eating until it is finished."

"But.... but... you know I won't be able to finish it before lunch at least." Harry stumbled over the words in his shock, even though he knew he shouldn't have been shocked at what she said. This was the way it had been since he was old enough to walk. It started with dusting when uncle Vernon had found out he could. Then it was cooking when his aunt Petunia learned that he could read. They even found a stool for him to use so they wouldn't have to help him with reaching things.

"Then I expect you to hurry." Were the last words he heard from her before he decided to go to bed.

End flashback

-June 8th-

He stumbled out of his cot-like bed from under the cupboard to his stack of clothes, that were his cousin's hand-me-downs, and slipped in a pair of his old shorts which were long enough and big enough to be considered pants. They seemed to swallow him, but he knew the routine. He slipped a length of rope, which was all he had been given to use as a belt, into the shorts and then pulled on his apron that he made out of the shirt he received with the shorts.

He stumbled out, rubbing his eyes as he yawns, and made his way into the kitchen. Grabbing the eggs and bacon out of the refrigerator he strode to the counter and laid them down. He bent to open the drawer to draw out a couple of frying pans and put them onto the stovetop, after which he walked over to the side of the refrigerator to pick up his stool. He hauled it across the floor to the counter. He climbed up until he could pull a bowl from the shelf above the counter and a whisk from the carousel where it was kept. He reached over and turned on the stove and put butter in the pan so it could melt as he cracked the eggs and put the bacon in the other pan. He had just started scrambling the eggs when he heard his aunts voice from upstairs.

"Harry, where are you, you little brat?" She yelled.

"I'm in the kitchen aunt Petunia. I'm almost finished making breakfast. I'll have it on the dining room table in one second. I'm making toast." He stated as he slipped the bread in the toaster oven.

Slowly and carefully he carried the plates of eggs and bacon, bowls of fruit he had prepared the night before, and the toast, after he slipped a couple of pieces into his pocket so he wouldn't go completely with out food until dinner. After he laid the plates and bowl on the table and set the table with napkins, forks, and plates, he waited at the dining room door as Dudley, Petunia, and Vernon Dursley.

"I'm going to go and get started on the lawn while it is still cool outside. I guess I'll come in when I'm finished." He would have said more but he noticed that they weren't paying any attention to him as they started eating what he had spent the last hour creating. Deciding he would get better attention from the weeds he was going to spend the next three hours pulling, he went to the entrance hall and slipped on his shoes and a light windbreaker since he knew it would still be kind of cool since the sun had yet to fully come up.

(A/N: please read and review. this is my first story ever so please critique)


	2. he meets a new friend

" speech" (A/N hope you liked the first chapter)

'thought'

CHPT. 2

Harry was just starting to push the reel lawn mower when the curtains of the house next door fluttered. No one would have noticed unless they had been starting at it. But by some instinct the 5 years old knew he was being watched. He glanced up and saw the curtain flutter close as the person watching jumped back to remain unseen. He knew that the house belonged to Mrs. Figg. She watched him when the Dursley's had somewhere to go and they did not want to bring him alone. Like on Dudley's birthday, out to lunch, or just to visit family. They didn't like leaving him in their house alone because they didn't trust him not to break something or other.

Shaking his head at his thoughts he started pushing the mower. The curtain fluttered again but this time he ignored it thinking that whoever was peeking at him might come outside. He knew it wasn't Mrs. Figg because she would come outside if she wanted to see him. 'Maybe they're shy' he thought as he went back to work.. It was only six o' clock in the morning and he had a ton of work left to do. If uncle Vernon saw him standing there looking as though he was daydreaming he knew he could give up any thoughts about food. As the curtain fluttered again he caught site of the person who was looking out the window.

It was a little girl who looked to be his age and he could tell from there that she had been crying. She had pitch black hair and eyes as dark as mahogany. She was almost as white as paper but he didn't know if she normally looked like that or if it was because she had been crying. She saw him looking at her and he smiled to her. She gave him a small smile in return then she disappeared from his sight.

He made the turn as he reached the end of that row and started another row back the other way. Then he saw her again but this time the curtain was completely open and she was sitting on the window seat almost as if she was waiting for him to come back into view. She waved at him but she was crying again. Her head was resting on her arms which were wrapped around the tops of her pulled up legs. He waved back and went back to struggling with the mower that was taller than he was.

He finally finished with the mower and though he didn't have a watch he could tell that it was past lunch time. He had already ate the toast he had snuck out for breakfast and he was hungry again but he was positive that if he asked for something now he would just be laughed at and told to go back to work.

'Why are they all so mean to me.....why can't I just run in to pick something up to eat. I'd even work while I ate but no, no food till I've finished working.. And does Dudley ever have to do anything? No.' He gripes in his head as he pulls the mower back into the shed. He pulls a spade and bucket off a shelf in the shed then heads to the flowerbed farthest away from the house so if he takes a rest he won't get into trouble. When he gets there he is surprised for he sees the little girl he saw earlier from the window resting balled up beside the fence in the corner of the flowerbed he was heading to.

She looked up as she heard his footsteps in the grass and sat waiting for him to reach her. He slowly drags the bucket with the spade inside to the flowerbed because he is worn out from fighting with the mower.

"Hi." She muttered shyly with tears still running down her face to her chin. 'She looks so desperate, so in need of help. I'm not much but maybe I can help her or at least make her feel better.' He thought as he sat down next to her. He was a serious little boy and seemed to be able to feel that she was the same also.

"Hi, who are you? Your new here aren't you? Is something wrong?" He asked.

"Yes. my name Claire Kagome McNally. And something is very wrong." She says as she wipes the tears off her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked softly so as not to scare her off.

"I just found out that my momma and daddy are dead. They died in a car wreck." She sobs as she puts her head into her arms. Harry scooted over to her and pulled her into his arms so she could sob into his arms as he'd seen uncle Vernon do to aunt Petunia when Dudley had been taken to the hospital when he was three years old for choking on some candy that he had been eating. He was hoping it would calm her down but so far all it did was make her cry harder.

"My momma and dad are dead too. They died in a car crash too. I don't even know what they look like. My aunt and uncle don't have any pictures of them and they told me not to ever ask about them. My aunt and uncle, the people I live with don't even like me." He murmured as he hugged her. "By the way my name is Harry Potter." He introduced himself to her.

"I'm gonna have to stay with my grandma from now on. My little brother will too but he is only one so he probably won't remember them either." She says as she calmed down. "Matthew is asleep right now and grandma is feeding her cats. So I don't have anything to do and every time i think of mommy or daddy i cry." She finally stated.

"Who is your grandma and what were you doing at Mrs. Figg's house? Is she babysitting you like she does me?" Harry asked.

"She is my grandma. But what are you doing out here with the bucket and shovel?" She asked as she pushed away from him to sit next to him.

Harry shifted and started trying to pull up weeds. " Aunt Petunia said I had to do yard work today or else I wouldn't get to eat. I also had to mow the lawn earlier. I haven't been able to stop or eat lunch and I won't be able to eat anything until I get finished here." He grumbled to her.

"Why?!" She exclaimed." Wait here." She said as she ran across the lawn to her house and wass back in about seven minutes with what looked like a plastic bag. "Here." She said as she handed him the plastic baggy.

He peaked inside the bag and saw that there were chocolate chip cookies and a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches in there. "Eat them. Grandma told me to tell you to eat them." He pulled out a sandwich and split it in two and gave her half of one.

"I'll eat one only if you do." He then stuffed half of his half into his mouth. She started laughing and he joined in once he swallowed his half. They eat all the sandwiches and cookies and then she starts to help him pull the weeds.

"Thank you." They both state at the same time. And then they start laughing again. She is having trouble pulling this one weed so she stands up to use all her weight to get it out. But once it comes out she goes flying backwards until it looks like she is going to get hurt when she lands. Harry yells no, or maybe it was just in his head afterwards neither of them actually ever know but she seems to slow down in her fall. After she lands they both whisper, "Wow! That was like magic. How did it happen?" Then they start laughing again. "Well I have to go home now. I hope I can see you again Harry." She says.

"Me too." He states then she leaves and he goes back to working in the garden.


End file.
